Your schedule. Your pace. Your MBA.
Athabasca Universityās fully flexible, fully asynchronous online MBA lets you learn while you work - anywhere, anytime. Build the leadership skills to move your career forward without pressing pause.
Rae Shungur
Carter Yellowbird
Angela Workman Stark
Joy Romero
Heather Buffalo
Larry Berglund
Tannis Lavinuk
A business education that fits your schedule
Athabasca Universityās (AU) Master of Business Administration (MBA) puts you in control of your education with the flexibility that suits your careerā and your life. Unlike traditional MBA programs, we offer online, asynchronous, paced courses throughout the program, meaning you can study whenever it suits you from anywhere in the world.
With 4 different admission routes, AUās MBA program caters to applicants from a wider range of educational and professional experience than other MBA programs. This allows us to bring in learners with
more diverse backgrounds in business, which provides you with a richer experience. We have kept this at the heart of our MBA ever since it was established in 1994āas the first online MBA program in the world.
Ultimately, we have designed and structured our MBA program to give you the concepts, frameworks, and tools you need to stand out in business, grow your professional network, and unlock greater career opportunities.
PROGRAM PROMISE
Claudette McGowan
Degree
Master of Business Administration
Credits 48*
*Accelerated entry route: 30 credits
Application deadlines and start dates:
October 15 start the following January
March 15 start the following May
June 15 start the following August
Duration Standard entry route:
Finish in as little as 2.5 years. Must be completed in 5 years.
Accelerated entry route:
Finish in as little as 1.5 years. Must be completed in 4 years.
There are 4 routes to entry into the program.
This means each course has its own scheduled start, end, and assignment deadline dates.
Course selection
You will be pre-registered in core courses upon admission to the program.
Tuition, fees, and financing options
Learn more about tuition and fees on our website. To discuss financing options for your MBA, including employer sponsorships, scholarships, awards, and bursaries, contact our graduate recruitment team by email at fb-business@athabascau.ca.
Whatās expected of you?
Dedication
Dedicate an average of 20 to 25 hours to your studies per week.
Link theory to practice
Take what youāve learned and put it into practice at your workplace.
Foster ideas
Cultivate the strength of your arguments and engage with your cohorts and professors in sharing thoughtful, analytical, and insightful perspectives. Participation is integral to the AU peer-to-peer learning model.
Dig deep
Take the time neededā to think and reflect, to craft a response, or to make sure you understand someone elseās argument. This is fundamental and will help you move from memorization to mastery.
Weāre here for you!
Academic facilitated groups
Within each course, professors establish groups of no more than 10 students and stay actively involved, facilitating discussions to ensure a high level of academic interaction and engagement.
Support services for AU students
Our support service teams offer all the guidance, advice, and resources you might needāfrom program and course advising, tutoring, and learning support to mental health, accessibility, financial aid, exam writing, and technical support.
Graduate enrolment advisors
All MBA students are assigned an enrolment advisor upon acceptance to help you manage your schedule and meet your degree requirements.
Student and alumni relations
Stay connected with AU while you study and after graduation through our student and alumni relations teamsāand get exclusive alumni discounts. We also connect AU MBA alumni through a private LinkedIn group, which currently has over 2,500 members.
Get more from the work youāve put in
There are 4 routes to entry into the program with requirements that cater to different educational and professional experience.
Standard Entry
Undergraduate degree +
3 years managerial experience
Accelerated Entry
You have an undergraduate degree in business completed in the past 10 years + 3.0 GPA or higher for the last 60 credits earned +
3 years managerial experience
These are minimum requirements and do not guarantee acceptance. The admissions committee will make a decision based on a comprehensive review of your application, including work experience, academic performance, transcripts, references, and written compositions.
Professional Designation
Holders
You hold an accepted professional designation + 5 years of managerial experience
Progressive Management Experience
You have at least 8 years of progressive managerial experience
Find out if you qualify for AUās MBA
Letās get down to business
AU is a global leader in business education.
1st online MBA in the world
AUās MBA has brought high-quality business education to working professionals for over 30 years. In fact, established in 1994, our online MBA is the first of its kind and remains a global leader in the delivery of online business education.
Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business
A world of connections at your fingertips
AU MBA graduates in the thousands 40,000+ AU students Accredited by the
Less than 6 per cent of the worldās business schools hold AACSB accreditation.
Our professors and students come from industries across Canada and throughout the world. As you build relationships, youāll see how this diversity of knowledge, opinion, and life experience adds depth to the programās curriculum and helps students understand how theories can be applied in a variety of contexts.
Since launching the program in 1994, we have over 4,600 MBA graduates and growing.
The AU community is bigger than you think. We have over 40,000 active learners from across Canada and around the world.
Donāt take our word for itā¦
ā
It was definitely the AU community that tipped the scale for me. They were very good at answering my questions and were very responsive.
āLaurie Wang, MBA ā23
Vice president, Legal Aid Alberta Read Wangās story.
I had a good experience at Athabasca University [with my HR certificate], so I thought it was something that I could do while I had all these other things going on in my life.
āCeilia Koehler, MBA ā23
Regional manager, employee relations, Amazon Read Koehlerās story. ā
ā
I was surprised at the depth of the people taking the course. This person is doing well already. Why am I here? These are some ultra-successful people.
āBob Willows. MBA ā19
President and CEO, Willows Construction Read Willowsā story.
AUās MBA current learners at a glance
Average age of Learners: 42 years
Average active learners: 300 - 400 53% identify as male 47% identify as female
Students from industries including:
ā¢ Agriculture, forestry, and renewable resources
ā¢ Arts, entertainment, and culture
ā¢ Construction, industry development, and real estate
ā¢ Consulting
ā¢ Education
ā¢ Energy, mining, oil and gas
ā¢ Engineering
ā¢ Finance and insurance
ā¢ Government and public service
ā¢ Health care
ā¢ Hospitality
ā¢ Information technology
ā¢ Manufacturing
ā¢ Military and policing
ā¢ Not-for-profit and social services
ā¢ Retail and wholesale trade
ā¢ Transportation and logistics
ā¢ Utilities and telecommunications
Students with job titles including:
ā¢ Branch Manager
ā¢ Chief Financial Officer
ā¢ Clinical Manager
ā¢ Controller
ā¢ Director of Business Development
ā¢ Director of Finance
ā¢ Director of Operations
ā¢ Director of Sales
ā¢ General Manager
ā¢ HR Manager
ā¢ Logistics Manager
ā¢ Operations Foreman
ā¢ Operations Manager
ā¢ President/CEO/Owner
ā¢ Principal Engineer
ā¢ Project Manager
ā¢ Senior Manager
ā¢ Vice President
Hereās how it works
AUās MBA program is divided into 3 phases plus a capstone. A unique benefit to AUās MBA program is the Graduate Diploma in Management (GDM) students are awarded following the completion of Phase 1, and one course from Phase 2.
Learn more about the accelerated entry program structure
Phase 1 Core
5 CORE COURSES
Build a solid foundation of knowledge and skills in the key areas of general management, including:
ā¢ Strategic Management
ā¢ Human Resources Management
ā¢ Financial and Managerial Accounting
ā¢ Marketing Management
ā¢ Operations Management
Phase 2
Core continued
3 SPECIALIZED CORE COURSES
Dive deeper into key senior management-related issues, opportunities, and strategies, solidifying your holistic, organizational view of the senior management function.
ā¢ Ethical Decision Making
ā¢ Managerial Economics and Finance
ā¢ Business Analytics for Strategic Decision Making
Students awarded GDM
After completing Phase 1 and one Phase 2 course, you will receive a stand-alone GDM-so you come away with 2 designations.
ā
The applied project enriched my learning experience. It partnered me with an expert as my project supervisor and mentor. This also allowed me to demonstrate my own growth across the program. The customizable options and topic selection empowered my leadership development.
āNatasha Pedersson, MBA ā23
Make your MBA your own
Our MBA program is both flexible and customizable. Whether you want to increase your expertise in a specific field or branch out into new disciplines, there are a number of ways you can design a program built for your goals.
Use your work scenarios as case studies
Within almost all core courses, weekly discussions and individual assignments focus on connecting your learning directly to your company and industry. Our goal is to move you beyond imagining what you āmightā do within a scenario and instead help you connect your learning to what is happening in the real world and your workplace. You will come away from each course with tangible and usable knowledge and abilities. Youāll also have a series of deliverables you can take back to your organization.
Phase 3
Electives are organized into four specialized streams including:
ā¢ IT & Digital Strategy Stream
ā¢ Strategy, Organizational Behaviour & Leadership Stream
ā¢ Technology, Innovation & Operations Stream
ā¢ Finance, Economics & Banking Stream
Choose the electives you want
You can choose to concentrate on one subject area (stream) or mix things up and take courses in completely different subject areas, including:
ā¢ Project Management
ā¢ Entrepreneurship
ā¢ IT Management
ā¢ Leadership
ā¢ Operations Management
ā¢ Strategy
ā¢ Finance
ā¢ International Business
MBA in residence
AU MBA students can complete in-residence electives, which combine online work with an intensive week of on-location, face-to-face instruction or a hybrid, synchronous option (depending on the elective). These courses cover a variety of business topics and are offered throughout the year. In-residence electives are held in locations across Canada. Learn more about the MBA in-residence on our website.
Capstone Project
The Capstone is a 10-week culminating project that brings together the knowledge, skills, and frameworks you have developed throughout the MBA. You will investigate a business challenge, opportunity, or research question and apply theories, models, and evidence from your courses to generate meaningful insights and practical solutions.
You may choose one of four pathways, depending on your goals and interests:
ā¢ Primary Business Research Design Project āThe design of an investigation to address a clearly defined business question, including the formulation of research objectives, development of a methodological approach, and specification of primary data collection and analysis strategies.
ā¢ Simulation ā An immersive experience in which you manage a virtual company and complete a reflective analysis of your decisions and outcomes.
ā¢ Consultancy Project ā A practice-based engagement where you act as a consultant to an organization and deliver recommendations on a real business problem.
ā¢ Applied Project ā A project focused on the direct application of theoretical knowledge to a realworld business context, often using secondary data or case analysis.
Students awarded Master of Business Administration
Master business
AUās MBA is designed for your success.
It will prepare you to take the next step in your career, challenging you with real-world application, so you can be ready for whatās next. As an MBA student at AU, you will:
ā¢ Develop and hone your ability to think strategically at a high-level
ā¢ Build foundational knowledge in multidiscipline and multifunctional business areas
ā¢ Think critically and become a more effective decision maker
ā¢ Link theory and practice in varying contexts, enhancing your ability to apply knowledge using models, frameworks, and tools that enhance business performance
ā¢ Enhance your project management and change management skills
ā¢ Further develop your leadership and related interpersonal skills
ā¢ Hone your written communication and research skills
Get more value through our partners
You could earn credit towards your MBA, finish the program faster, or even earn a second credential through one of our partnerships.
MBA for Accountants
In partnership with Chartered Professional Accountants (CPA) of Canada:
ā¢ Get up to 9 credits towards your MBA, allowing you to finish up to 6 months faster, with a CPA designation (applies also to CA, CMA, CGA designations).
MBA for Health Leaders
In collaboration with the Canadian College of Health Leaders (CCHL):
ā¢ MBA credits are transferable to the Certified Health Executive (CHE) designation program, Canadaās only professional credential available to health leaders.
MBA for Supply Chain Managers
In partnership with the Supply Chain Canada:
ā¢ Get up to 9 credits towards your MBA, allowing you to finish up to 6 months faster, with a Supply Chain Management Professional (SCMP) designation.
Learn more about our partnerships
Interested in applying to our MBA program?
Now
For assistance: 1-800-788-9041 ext. 6189 (toll-free in North America) fb-business@athabascau.ca
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